Thursday, November 10, 2016

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY (October 2016)

Life has its ups and downs. Obviously, this week has been about as down as it could get for our country. But, even in the face of this awful, soul-crushing election, we must keep the disappointments, nay, tragedies of the moment from having crippling power over us. I will continue to concentrate on the people, events and creations that bring great joy to my life. Every day, on my Facebook page and on Twitter, I remind myself of my wondrous blessings in a segment I call “Things That Make Me Happy.”

At the end of each month, for my bloggy thing readers who might not be following me on Facebook or Twitter, I collect the items posted during that month. With additions and/or corrections in italics, here’s what I posted in October...

October 1: Having a terrific relationship with both DC and Marvel Comics, the two greatest names in our industry. 10-1-16.

October 2: Spending time with my dear pal Barry Pearl while I was in New York City. 10-2-16.

October 3: Talking with comics legend Larry Lieber, something we’re going to do more of. 10-3-16.

October 4: The love and respect shown me at the Luke Cage premiere and in nearly every other facet of my life. 10-4-16.

October 5: Spending time in my old New York City neighborhood near Times Square. So many memories. 10-5-16.

October 6: Seeing my name (“Special Thanks”) in the end credits of Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix. 10-6-16.

October 7: Having so many happy things in my life that I’m writing this one on October 1. 10-7-16.

October 8: LeBron James, successful businessman, philanthropist and one of the greatest athletes of all time, endorses Hilary Clinton for president. 10-8-16.

I hope James and the other athletes and celebrities who supported Clinton will continue their involvement in politics. The election of Donald Trump shows how broken politics have become in our land. In the same way, James and others inspire their fans to a greater involvement in our nation’s future and help our citizens overcome the hate and fear that were Trump’s message.

October 10: That laugh out loud scene in the fourth episode of Luke Cage. You know the one. 10-10-16

October 11: Our cool new refrigerator. I love the slate color, even though it means we will eventually need to replace our dishwasher, microwave and oven to match. 10-11-16

October 12: Shin Godzilla on a big screen in its original form with sub-titles. Seeing it with my son Eddie. 10-12-16.

October 13: Valiant’s Faith endorsing Clinton. Step back, haters. Who else would an intelligent, powerful young woman support in this election? 10-13-16.

It turns out Faith didn’t actually endorse Clinton or anyone in the issue. Which didn’t stop a few idiotic comic-shop proprietors from refusing to carry the issue in their stores. I sincerely hope the fans in their area were able to find the issue elsewhere and, when they did, found the other comic shops to be more to their liking.

October 14: Thinking about the private talks between me and my dad before he passed. 10-14-16.

October 15: Jidenna’s amazing performance in the fifth episode of Luke Cage and, for that matter, all of the music in this brilliant series. I’ve got some shopping to do. 10-15-16

October 16: Relieving stress by binge-watching Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow. It seems to have worked. 10-16-16.

October 17: Samantha Bee describing Mike Pence as a homophobic Race Bannon on her 10/5 show. I like to think I was the first one to see and post the resemblance. 10-17-16.

October 18: The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror XXVII.” Six hundred episodes and this show is still must-watch TV for me. 10-18-16.

October 19: Tyler Hoechlin as Superman on The CW’s Supergirl. It’s maybe a tad old school, but so heartwarming to see. 10-19-16.

October 20: The Cleveland Indians are going to the World Series. ‘Nuff said! 10-20-16.

October 21: Magenta on The Flash. It was a terrific translation of the character to TV and a satisfying conclusion to her first appearance. 10-21-16.

October 23: Grand Rapids Comic-Con. A wonderful convention I hope to attend every year. 10-23-16.

October 24: The Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum display at Grand Rapids Comic Con. I look forward to visiting the museum. 10-24-16.

October 25: Eddie and Kelly have tickets to the first game of the World Series. Go Tribe! 10-25-16.

October 26: Cleveland winning the first game of World Series. Only the Tribe could make a 6-0 win look so hard. 10-26-16.

Though the Indians did not win the World Series, they gave us the most exciting game seven in World Series history. Congratulations to the Cubs and thanks to the Indians.

October 27: Ashley Rickards as the Top on The Flash. Loved the kind of sort of retro look of her “costume.” 10-27-16.

October 28: Samantha Bee’s takedown of Catholic hospitals who deny life-saving treatment to women. If your religious beliefs are more important than the needs of your patients, you shouldn’t be in the hospital business. 10-28-16.

October 29: Early voting. The Republicans keep trying to interfere with it, but my nation is represented best when we make it easier for citizens to vote. 10-29-16.

Alas, the gutting of the Voters Rights Act left many voters at the mercy of partisan Republican officeholders with a lot fewer voting places in minority areas. It wasn’t the only cause of the terrible Trump victory, but it was definitely a factor.

October 30: G-Fan. I’ve only read half the issues I own, but, when I read one, I discover anew what a great magazine it is. 10-30-16.

October 31: Halloween. I love the idea of this special spooky day. I hope to do more Halloween stuff in the future. 10-31-16.

With the prospect of a Trump presidency, one might think Halloween is redundant. I think we need it more than ever, but that we should strive to make it scariest for the Republicans.

That’s all for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a special piece on tips for aspiring comics creators.